Who pays for repairs in a rented apartment: a practical guide

This is the most common everyday conflict in renting. Here is the logic behind it and what to write in the lease so there is nothing to argue about.

The general principle

It is simple and almost universal:

The owner is responsible for the property itself and the equipment handed over with it. Worn-out pipes, an old boiler, a fridge that broke down from age are the owner's area.

The tenant is responsible for what they broke themselves and for minor day-to-day upkeep: light bulbs, blockages caused by their own carelessness, broken glass.

The problem is that real situations are rarely this clear-cut.

Grey areas

The washing machine broke. If from age, it is the owner. If you washed trainers and cracked the drum, it is the tenant. How to prove it is an open question.

The tap is leaking. A worn washer is the owner. A stripped thread is the tenant.

A blockage. Old pipes are the owner. Pouring grease down the sink is the tenant.

Tiles have come off. Usually the owner, unless someone knocked them off.

Mould in the bathroom. Most often ventilation, so the owner. But if the tenants did not air the room for months, responsibility is shared.

What to put in the lease

So you do not have to sort it out case by case:

• An amount threshold. For example: minor repairs up to a set amount are paid by the tenant, anything above by the owner. In practice this wording works most reliably.
• The owner's response time to a breakdown report.
• The tenant's right to fix it themselves and deduct the cost from the rent if the owner does not respond. Always with a threshold and with notice.
• Who calls the repairer and who chooses them.
• What happens to improvements made by the tenant: they stay with the owner or are compensated.

The last point matters for long-term rentals: about the lease agreement.

The role of the inventory

Everything comes down to the starting condition. If the move-in inventory records that the tap was dripping and the appliances were old, the dispute is settled in a minute.

Without an inventory, whoever holds the deposit wins.

For tenants

Practical rules:

• report a breakdown immediately and in writing, not when it is already leaking into the neighbours' flat
• do not repair expensive items yourself without agreement
• keep receipts if you paid yourself and expect compensation
• do not save up small complaints until move-out: deal with them as they come

For owners

• respond quickly: a leak left unfixed costs more
• install decent appliances: cheap ones break and eat into your yield, see furnishing a flat for rent
• build routine repairs into your calculations
• if you are not in the country, you need someone on the ground

Emergencies

A separate case: a pipe bursts and floods the neighbours. Here responsibility depends on the cause of the accident, and this is when insurance pays for itself: about property insurance.

Current listings are in the rental catalog.

Frequently asked questions

Who pays for a broken washing machine in a rented apartment?
If the machine broke from age, the owner pays; if the tenant is at fault, for example the drum cracked while washing trainers, the tenant pays. To avoid arguments, the starting condition of the appliances is recorded in the inventory at move-in.

What should the lease say about repairs so you do not argue with the landlord?
An amount threshold for minor repairs paid by the tenant, the owner's response time to a breakdown, the right to fix it yourself and deduct it from the rent, who calls the repairer and what happens to the tenant's improvements. The amount threshold is the most workable wording.

Can a tenant fix a breakdown and deduct the cost from the rent?
Yes, if the lease says so: the right to fix it yourself and offset the cost when the owner does not respond, with an amount threshold and notice. Do not repair expensive items without agreement, and keep the receipts.

Who is responsible for mould in the bathroom of a rented flat?
Most often the owner, because the cause is usually ventilation. But if the tenants did not air the room for months, responsibility is shared.